Waltham rail trail project gains momentum

Thursday

Apr 10, 2014 at 1:00 PMApr 10, 2014 at 1:35 PM

By Eli Shermanesherman@wickedlocal.com

Momentum is again mounting for Waltham to turn the Wayside Rail Trail into a usable pathway for walking, biking and commuting.The trail, which runs three miles through the city, is a part of the long-deserted railroad tracks that used to run from Boston to Northampton. The tracks haven’t been used since the 1970s and some city officials started efforts in 1996 to change them into a bike path, but were confronted with several obstacles.The project failed to move forward, but in an attempt to stay true to a campaign promise, Councilor-at-large Patrick O’Brien recently rejuvenated the charge by proposing the City Council look into revitalizing the project. Planning Director Catherine Cagle was invited to the Economic and Community Development Committee meeting on Monday for an update."I was really pleased when asked for an update on the Wayside Trail," Cagle said. "I share the passion on this one."Cagle’s presentation to the council was hurried, as the committee ran out of meeting time, but she was able to summarize efforts so far. Cagle told councilors that the Wayside Rail Trail fits in nicely with the Bay State Greenway, which is a seven-corridor, 788-mile network of bicycle routes that "comprise both off-road and on-road bicycle facilities," according to the state Department of Transportation’s website.Earlier this year, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation granted the project a Massachusetts Environmental Police Act (MEPA) certificate and waiver from having to conduct an Environmental Impact Review (EIR) for the entire 23 miles, according to Cagle. Both the MEPA certificate and EIR impeded previous efforts to move the project forward.The Bay State Greenway has a vision plan to add 100 miles worth of projects to its already existing network. It wants to focus on "making additional connections to urban centers, extending existing paths, and maximizing the transportation utility of the network." The Wayside Trail is No. 3 on the organization’s list of priorities.The Wayside Trail, in its entirety, runs 23 miles from Waltham to Berlin. The three miles that go east through Waltham cross Stow Street, Main Street and Prospect Hill Road before passing Hammond, Bacon, Lexington and Lyman streets.In Waltham, the trail crosses three bridges at Route 128, Lyman Brook and Linden Street. Cagle said the city was lucky to have all three bridges still in tact, as other bridges on the trail have been destroyed. She added that bridge conditions would need to improve.Council President Robert Waddick, who also represents Ward 6, said much of the trail runs through his ward and he’s concerned with where it intersects with the roadways."The intersections are relatively simple, but they’re really busy streets," Waddick said. "I’m concerned about people getting access to those very busy streets inadvertently."O’Brien, who has walked the trail since he was 7 years old, said on Tuesday that getting people off the streets and onto the trail was the whole concept he was trying to push, adding that if more people were biking, there would be less cars on the roadways.He was also excited about how the trail would give residents new biking and walking accessibility to the Route 128 corridor and the new development project at the former Polaroid site."I’m very familiar with [the trail] and to have bike accessibility would be phenomenal," O’Brien said.Due to the brevity of Cagle's presentation, O’Brien is inviting Cagle back on April 22 to again discuss the trail. O’Brien said he wanted the project to be talked about at least once a month in committee to keep it in the spotlight.